Arkansas Tech’s Norman Hall Gallery opened an exhibit Monday of Keliy Anderson-Staley’s photographic study of 30 families who’ve left the modern world behind to live in the Maine woods. Anderson-Staley has first-hand experience of living off the grid; her project started with her own family, who lived in a log cabin in the Maine woods. From the artist’s statement:
Tensions within families, between generations, and between individuals and larger communities are among the psychological themes explored. I am especially interested in capturing the complex attitudes of the children as they echo their parent’s pride while still exhibiting some frustration and discontentment. The new wave of homesteaders in their 20s and 30s is also surprisingly strong. Although their gardens and homes look similar to the ones built in the 70s and early 80s, there is a different atmosphere. At the same time, they are still bathing their children in the same metal tubs I remember using as a kid.
Anderson-Staley will give a talk about the exhibition at a reception at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29. The show runs through October.